An Australian-based company is allegedly ripping off Drake’s OVO owl to sell their own merchandise. According to TMZ, OVO has filed a lawsuit against Bellroy and the Los Angeles company Clae for copyright infringement. The suit arrives after the label became aware of Bellroy’s owl logo, which bears a striking resemblance to the famous OVO trademark.
According to court documents obtained by the outlet, OVO asserts that Bellroy is using the owl logo to mislead its customers into thinking they’re buying Drake’s products. The company has been operating since 2010, mostly specializing in wallets, smartphone cases, luggage and other travel accessories. However, they’ve recently collaborated with Clae to create a footwear and clothing line, which is what brought the similar owl logo to OVO’s attention.
“[Bellroy] changed the design of the owl by altering its posture, width, wings and feet in order to blatantly mimic the OVO owl,” the label’s lawsuit reads, adding that the collaboration is directly affecting their merchandise sales— most of which are fueled by clothing and footwear products.
It turns out that Twitter users have been aware of the two company’s similar logos for years, with some people trying to bring the issue to Drake’s attention as far back as 2013.
“Bellroy needs to cut a royalty check to OVO,” one person wrote on Twitter in 2016, alongside a photo of a Bellroy ad using the owl logo.
“Is it just me, or does Drake’s OVO owl look eerily similar to the Bellroy wallet owl?” another person pointed out.
OVO is now suing both Bellroy and Clae and asking the court that they not be allowed to continue using the owl brand. OVO also seeks any profits made from the recent footwear and clothing collaboration, as well as any damages.
See a few more Twitter reactions to the two logos below.